It is common practice in the installation of AM broadcast stations to put in an extensive ground system buried in the earth. In fact, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated that each standard AM broadcast station be equipped with a ground system consisting of at least 120 radials, each being at least one-quarter wavelength in length. For the typical broadcast frequencies of 550 Khz to 1,600 Khz, this amounts to approximately 18,000 to 49,000 feet of wire which would occupy approximately 2 to 15 acres of clear land. The ground system for the typical AM broadcast antenna can be seen to be a very expensive and large undertaking.
The traveler's information AM broadcast stations, which are frequently seen at the entrances to airports, state parks, national parks and even at state borders, operate at a frequency of approximately 530 Khz and 1,610 Khz, which is slightly below and slightly above the standard broadcast range of frequencies. The FCC has waived the above-mentioned ground system requirement for traveler's information stations; however, a practical station still requires a ground system in order for the antenna to radiate an effective signal. The small, low power, limited range transmitters employed in the traveler's information service cannot justify the expense of the typical antenna ground system. Even the amount of land occupied by a conventional ground system at the authorized frequencies would be prohibitive.